Chapter 5 "History's Haves and Have-Nots" Summary and Analysis

On large parts of the globe, food production did not arise or came much later due to various ecological reasons. But there were some areas that ecologically were very suitable for food production where this production did not occur until modern times. These areas included California and the other Pacific states in the United States, the Argentine pampas, southwestern and southeastern Australia, and the Cape region of South Africa. Tracing food production back to its earliest times, we find that food production often took place in marginal areas such as modern Iraq and Iran, Mexico, the Andes, parts of China, and Africa's Sahel zone. Diamond asks why food production sprang up independently in some areas, but not in others.

There appear to be five areas in which food production rose independently...